Inspiration:

Breaking Free is inspired by the path we take in breaking the bad connections and moving forward into the positive connections. We can all be puppets to the negative connections, allowing them to control us. When we break those strings, we can choose to move forward in peace and joy, becoming more human and less a puppet. There is also connection throughout that are personal to me.

What role does art play in your life?

Art is what connects me to my emotions, my past and my future. Art is a way I say the things my words can't. It is an expression of my inner self that no one else sees.

Artist statement:

Through my last 10+ years of incarceration, connection has been a major catalyst. In dealing with the emotions that go along with connections - both forming them and breaking them- art has been my greatest tool. As I think back, art has been a central part of my entire life in so many forms. I am a daughter, sister, mother, friend and also an inmate. I am from a rural country town that connects me to nature. Now I live in brick and mortar. Art takes me back to every connection I've ever had.